Film magazine



D. F. LYMAN FILM MAGAZINE Jan. 7, 1936.

Filed Dec. 7, 1933 atented Jan. 7, 193.6 i

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FILM MAGAZINE Donald F. Lyman, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to- Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a.

corporation of New York Application December "I, 1933, Serial No: 701,311 11 Claims. (Cl. 88-17) The present invention relates to a film maga- Reference is hereby made to the accompanying zine and more particularly to a uni-directional drawing in which similar reference characters clutch means for a film sprocket within a film designate similar elements and in which: magazine, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an open film maga- Considerable difliculty is encountered in the zine which is equipped with the preferred form 5 operation of film magazines because the film loops of uni-directional clutch means. may be reduced or lost on account of movement Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the film of the film rolls due to the inherent resiliency magazine taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. inthe film rolls and the vibrations received during Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of a film l0 m m, 1- interchanging of magazines. Such magazine and illustrates a modified form of the difficulties have previously been overcome by the clutch means of the invention. provision of holding means for the spindles or Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section through a film film rolls' or by the provision of detents which p k t wh ch i eq ipped with still another form engage the film perforations. In all cases, howof uni-directional clutch means. ever, the holding means or detents must be 115- The present invention may be advantageously engaged either manually or automatically upon emp oyed on a y yp of film magazine 00111181111118 insertion of the magazine into the camera, therea sprocket. by complicating the construction or operation of The casing of the magazine has a side wall I0 the camera and magazine. and an edge wall H which extends around the The primary object of the present invention de wall l0. Off-set portions l3 are p v ed 20 is the provision in a film magazine containing a along the margins of edge wall H, are best illusfilm sprocket of a unidirectional clutch means trated in Figs 2 .and 4, and a d p ed to en age v which is in continuous and operative relation the perforated margins of the film and hold the to said sprocket for preventing undesired rotacentral portions of the film away from the edge tion thereof. Wall Another object of the invention is the provl- The filmgate may be formed in the magazine slon in a film magazine containing a film sprocket and may include an exposure aperture l2 which and a pair of film rolls of a one-way clutch is provided in edge wall I I and a pressure memmeans in co-operative relation to said film ber H which holds the film F against the exspl'ocket and permitting rotation of said sprocket posure aperture l2 and which is resiliently and film rolls in a predetermined direction but pressed against said film F. The resilient mountcontinuously and immediately effective to preing for pressure member It may comprise a plate vent rotation of said sprocket and film rolls in a I5 on side wall' l0, a pair of tapered pins I6 ex-l reverse direction. tending from plate l5, and a spring member I! A further object of the invention is the prowhich has .embossin'gs l8 pressing against the 35 vision in a film magazine containing a film back of pressure member H and which has a; tall sprocket and a pair of film rolls of a gear drive l9 for preventing buckling of the film along the between said sprocket and one of said rolls and lower wall of the magazine.

of a detent which is in continuous and operative The film supply includes a supply film roll 20 relation to one of the gears in said gear drive to which is wound on a core 2! and a supply spindle prevent rotation of said film roll and said sprocket 22 which is supported by side wall l0 and which but permitting rotation thereof in the desired rotatably supports core 2|. The film take-up direction. maycomprlse a spindle 23 which is riveted to side Other objects of the invention will be suggested wall ID, a sleeve 24 which is rotatably supported to those skilled in the art by the following disby spindle 2a, a'core 25, mounted on but rotatable 45 closure. with respect to sleeve 24, and a frictional connec- The aforementioned and other objects of the tion between sleeve 24 and core 25. Said fricinvention are embodied in a film magazine contional connection may be located within a recess taming a film sprocket anda uni-directional in one end of core 25 and may include a disc 26 clutch means which co-operates with said sprockattached to sleeve 24, a friction washer 21 on 50 et to permit rotation in one direction but not disc 26, a friction washer'28 on core 25, and a in the reverse direction. Preferably the clutch dished spring 29 between said friction washers means is constituted in part by one of the gears 21 and 28. of a drive between the film sprocket and the take- A cover 30 has a flange 3| which (lo-operates up film roll. t with the off-set portion I3 along the rim of side- 5 k wall H to form a light-tight casing. The cover 30 is securely held in position by a pair of screws 32 which engage threaded holes 33 in the ends of spindles 22 and 23 and which hold the cover against; the ends of said spindles.

The construction of the film sprocket is optional but the form here disclosed is particularly designed for ease of assembly. Such a film sprocket includes a bushing 34- which is fastened to. side wall I0 and which has-a recess 35, includes a cap 36 and a toothed disc 31 on a shaft 38 which extends through bushing 34, and includes a nut 39 which is threaded to shaft 38 and which has a toothed periphery for engagement with an appropriate camera part, not shown.

A driving means is arranged between the film sprocket and the take-up. Such a driving means includes a plurality of gears, one such gear 40 is formed by'providing teeth on the rim of cap 36, a pinion gear 4| is fastened to the sleeve 24 of the take-up, and a pinion gear 42 is rotatably mounted on side wall ID by a stud 43 and meshes with gears 40 and 4|. Thus upon rotation of the film sprocket in a clockwise direction as viewed from Fig. 1, the take-up core 25 will also be rotated in a clockwise direction through the gear train including gears 40, 42 and 4|. The peripheral speed of the film sprocket remains constant while the peripheral speed of the take-up roll increases as the diameter and the frictional connection in the end of core 25 will permit the necessary slip so that both peripheral speeds remain constant, even as the take-up roll builds up I In order to provide clearance between the driving gears and the edgesof the film and in orderto minimize the friction between the film edges and side wall ID, a plurality of embossings 44 are formed in side wall ||l. These embossings 44 are deeper than the width of gears 40, 4| and 42, and are preferably rounded so that line contact with the edges of the film is approximated.

li suitable guiding means is arranged adjacent the"film sprocket and maintains the film perforations in engagement with the teeth of the film sprocket. Such a guiding means may consist of a pair of rollers 45 and 46 mounted on spindles 41 and 48 which are fastened to side wall I0 and a stud 49 also mounted on side wall ID. The rollers 45 and 46 are each provided with a groove 50 which receives the ends of the teeth on the film sprocket.

The film may extend through the magazine in any suitable or well known path. The film- F may extend from the supply film roll 20, around the film sprocket, in preformed loops which encircle the take-up, again around the film sprock-.

et to form a double layer thereon, and thence to the take-up. Under conditions of normal operation the film F is unwound from the supply film roll 20 upon rotation of the film sprecket in a predetermined direction, which according'to the illustrated embodiment is a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 1. v

Due to the inherent resiliency oi film, a'I film roll has a tendency to unwind in a manner very similar to that of a spring motor. This tendency will exert a force on the film sprocket in a direction opposite to the normal rotation of the film sprocket and is increased by vibrations or jars which occur during shipment or interchange of the magazine. If such reverse rotation of the film sprocket is permitted the'film loops on opposite sides of the film gate will be increased or creased. Rotation of the film sprocket in a coun- .'.-3

..mined direction is transmitted through decreased until one of the loops is lost and the intermittent advancement of the film through the loops is seriously affected. Therefore, according to the present invention, a uni-directional or one-way clutch means is associated with 5 said film sprocket in such relation that the film sprocket may be rotated or driven in. a predetermined direction for advancement of the film but can not be rotated in the opposite direction. Furthermore, such a uni-directional clutch means is continuously in operative relation to the film sprocket so that normal or automatic actuation of said clutch is not necessary to place the clutch in proper condition depending on whether the magazine is inside or outside of the 15 camera.

The uni-directional clutch means may be provided by any one of several appropriate constructions, three of which are disclosed herein. The preferred form is illustrated in Fig. 1 while 20 two other modifications are shown respectively in Figs. 3 and 4.

-In the preferred form, see Fig. 1, the one-way clutch is composed of a spring 5| which may be attached to spindle 41, which has an end bearing 2;. on the off-set portion H of the edge wall II, and which has the other end engaging the teeth 0! pinion gear 42. Rotation of the film sprocket in a clockwise direction causes rotation of gear 42 in a counter-clockwise direction with the end 0| of spring 5| riding on the teeth of gear 42. The tension in spring 5| is as small as is consistent with reliable operation, so that the power required to drive the magazine is not materially inter-clockwise direction under the influence of film resiliency or vibrations is prevented by the spring 5|, the end of which abuts the sides of the teeth on gear 42 to prevent reverse rotation thereof. In the interest of accuracy, it is pointed 40 out that the clutch means is composed of two elements, gear 42 and spring 5|, so that the gear 42 performs a dual function as a gear and as one member of the clutch means.

The modified form of clutch means shown in 4.5 Fig. 3 includes a detent composed of a spring 52 which is snapped onto spindle 41, which has one end bearing on. the off-set portion I 3 of side wall II, and which hasthe otherend doubled back to ride on the teeth of the"ge ar-40 'on the rim.o1 ta) cap 36. In thismodification the gear 40 performs the dual function of being one member of a gear train and one element of the clutch means.

In another modification, the uni-directional clutch means, see Fig. 4, comprises a sleeve 36' which is attached internally to cap 36 and which is equal in diameter to the adjacent portion of bushing 34, and comprises a coil spring 53 which encircles sleeve 36 and the adjacent portion of bushing 34. The spring 53 is coiled in such a direction that upon rotation of the film sprocket in a predetermined direction the spring 53 will slide on sleeve 36' and bushing 34 but rotation in the opposite direction is prevented by the binding of said spring 53 on said sleeve 36' and the adjacent portion of bushing 34.

Incidentally this blocking oi the film sprocket to prevent rotation in other than the predeter" the film to block the film rolls and is transmitted through 70 the gear train to prevent rotation of the take-up roll except as limited by the friction in the frictional connection of the take-up.

Since many modifications of thepresent invention are possible, withoutdeparting from the essence of the invention, the present disclosure is to be construed in an illustrative sense. The scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims.

5 Having now particularly described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States and what I claim is:

1. In a'film magazine, the combination with a casing, a pair of supports for rotatably mounting a a pair of film rolls within said casing, and a film advancing means including a sprocket rotatable in apredetermined direction to move film from one film roll to the other and for engaging the film and maintaining a preformed loop in said film within 5 said casing, of a uni-directional clutch means between said casing and said sprocket and-for permitting rotation thereof in said predetermined direction but preventing rotation of said sprocket in reverse direction.

2. In a film magazine, the combination with a casing, a pair 0! supports for rotatably mounting a pair of film rolls within said casing, and a film advancing means including a sprocket rotatable in a predetermined direction to move film from .5 one film roll to the other and for engaging the film and maintaining a preformed loop in said film within said casing, oi, a uni-directional clutch means between said casing and said sprocket and including 'a spring member for permitting rotaac tion of said sprocket in said predetermined direction but preventing reverse rotation thereof.

3. In a film magazine, the .combination with a casing, a film roll rotatably mounted within said casing, and a film sprocket for maintaining a preto iormed loop of film within said casing and rotatable in a predetermined direction to unwind the film from said film roll, the inherent resiliency 0! said film roll tending to rotate said sprocket in the opposite direction, of "a uni-directional i0 clutch means between said casing and said film sprocket and permitting rotation of said sprocket in said predetermined direction but preventing rotation of said sprocket in the opposite direction.

it 4. In a film magazine, the combination with a casing, a film roll rotatably mounted within said casing, and a film sprocket for maintaining a preformed loop of film within said casing and rotatable in a predetermined direction to unwind the 50 film from said film roll, the inherent resiliency of said film roll tending to rotate said sprocket in the opposite direction, of a uni-directional clutch means attached to said casing and continually in co-operative relation to said sprocket and permit- 55 ting rotation of said sprocket in said predetermined direction but preventing rotation of said sprocket in the opposite direction.

5. In a film magazine, the combination with a casing; a film roll rotatably mounted within said (30 casing, and a film sprocket for maintaining a preformed loop of film within said casing'and rotatable in a predetermined direction to .unwind the film from said film roll, the inherent resiliency of said film roll tending to rotate said sprocket in 65 the opposite direction, of a uni-directional clutch means attached to said casing and continually engaging said film sprocket and permitting ro tation of said sprocket in said predetermined direction but preventing rotation of said sprocket in the opposite direction.

6. In a film magazine, the combination with a casing, a film roll rotatably mounted within said casing, and a film sprocket for maintaining a preformed loop of film within said casing and rotat- 7 able in a predetermined direction to unwind the film from said film roll, the inherent resiliency of said film roll tending to rotate said sprocket in the opposite direction, oi. a uni-directional clutch means attached to said casing and continuously in co-operative relation to said sprocket, for 5 permitting rotation of said sprocket in said predetermined direction, and immediately eflective to prevent rotation of said sprocket in the opposite direction.

7. In a film magazine, the combination with a 10 casing, a film roll rotatably mounted within said casing, and a film sprocket for maintaining a preformed film loop within said casing and rotatable in a predetermined direction to unwind the film from said film roll, the inherent resiliency of said film roll tending to rotate said sprocket in the opposite direction, of a uni-directional clutch means attached to said casing and continuously engaging said film sprocket, permitting rotation of said sprocket in said predetermined direction and immediately efifective to prevent rotation of said sprocket in the opposite direction.

8. In a film magazine, the combination with a casing, a film roll rotatably mounted within said casing, a film sprocket for maintaining a preformed film'loop within said casing and rotatable in a predetermined direction to unwind film from said film roll, and a plurality of gear teeth on said sprocket, of a pinion gear rotatably mounted and meshing with the gear teeth on said sprocket, $0 and a detent in continuous engagement with said pinion gear, for permitting rotation of said pinion gear in a direction corresponding to the predetermined rotational direction of said sprocket and x for preventing the rotation of said pinion gear in 85 the opposite direction.

9. In a film magazine, the combination with a casing, a film roll rotatably mounted within said casing, a film sprocket for maintaining a preformed film loop within said casing and rotatable 40 in a predetermined direction to unwind film from said film roll, and a plurality of gear teeth on said sprocket, of a detent in continuous engagement with the gear teeth on said sprocket, for permitting rotation of said sprocket in said predetermined direction and for preventing rotation of said sprocket in the opposite direction.

. 10. In a film magazine, the combination with a casing, a film roll rotatably mounted within said casing, a support mounted within said casing and having a cylindrical portion, and a film sprocket mounted on said support to rotate in a predetermined directlon for unwinding film from said film roll and having a cylindrical portion which is coaxial wlth the cylindrical portion on said support, of a coil spring encircling both of said cylindrical portions and coiled to permit rotation of said sprocket with respect to said support in said predetermined direction and to prevent rotation of said sprocket in the opposite direction.

11. In a film magazine, the combination with a casing, a supply film roll and a take-up filmroll both rotatably mounted within said casing, a film sprocket for maintaining a preformed film loop within said casing and rotatable in a predetermined direction to unwind film from said supply film roll, and a driving means including a plurality of gears between said sprocket and said take-up film roll, or a detent in continuous engagement with one of said gears and for permitting rotation of, said sprocket .in said predetermined direction and preventing rotation thereof in an opposite direction.

I DONALD F. LYMAN. 15 

